HIGH notes were hit night and day as a popular Ayrshire musical group staged a fundraising marathon.

The Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra staged an ambitious 24-hour play in at Troon Old Parish Church, from Friday, August 24 until 6pm on Saturday, August 25.

All funds will go towards the group’s Rising Sun Tour of Japan, scheduled for next July.

In all some 95 youngsters, aged from P7 to S6 from across Ayrshire took part in the event.

Orchestra Director Euan Terras was delighted with how things went and said: “We began with a free concert, followed by a ceilidh on the Friday night and ended with a free concert on the Saturday night. Between the concerts there were a whole host of pieces played (including Inisheer and the Gay Gordons).

“The young members played in the evenings and during the day on Saturday and the older ones took it in turns to play through the night, with the door bolted.

“We had a lot of passers by because there was a coffee morning for the Ayrshire Hospice in the Church Hall and people from there came to support us and we told other people who came in to head along to the coffee morning as well.

"We raised about £3000 from the play in towards the Japan trip, which will cost about £20,000. But this is only the beginning of our fundraising. Other events are being planned, including a swimathon, our Christmas fayre and Christmas concert.”

AFO Director Wallace Galbraith recently spent a highly successful five days in Tokyo meeting with many enthusiastic contacts to begin forming the shape of the Orchestra’s exciting Concert Tour to Japan in 2019.